Exhaust volume measurement device

ABSTRACT

A vehicle exhaust measurement system is provided includes that a conduit having a conduit inlet and a conduit outlet. A make-up air tube is connected to and is in fluid communication with the conduit inlet. The make-up air tube provides make-up air for mixing an exhaust gas. A mixed gas tube is connected to and is in fluid communication with the conduit outlet. The mixed gas tube conveys a mixture of make-up air and exhaust gas to analysis equipment. In the preferred embodiment, the exhaust gas tube extends through an outer wall of the conduit. A mixing plate is arranged in either the conduit or the mixed gas tube with the exhaust gas tube extending to a position adjacent to the mixing plate. The exhaust gas tube conveys the exhaust gas to the mixing plate to mix the exhaust gas and the make-up air at the mixing plate. A correction factor may be applied to the measurements taken by a differential pressure based fluid flow measurement device such as a smooth approach orifice (SAO) to provide an adjusted flow of measurement at the flow measurement device to correct for the pressure pulsations. The correction factor is calculated based upon the intensity of the pulsations of the differential pressure signal, which indicates the flow through the SAO.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an engine or vehicle exhaust measurementdevice, and more particularly, the invention relates to a compact directvehicle exhaust flow measurement device (DVE), which may be easilypackaged within a test cell while providing compensation for engineexhaust pulsations when needed.

The determination of engine or vehicle exhaust emissions during a testcycle is necessary to verify compliance with emission standards. Toquantify the products of combustion correctly either the exhaust flowhas to be known or an alternative method has to be used. A common methodis the CVS (Constant Volume Sampling) principle, which has been used formany years in the industry and is a widely used standard. A CVS systemsamples the total amount of exhaust gas expelled by the engine orvehicle and dilutes it with air. The total flow as a sum of exhaust gasand dilution air is kept virtually constant. A constant sample is takenat a point far enough downstream of the mixing zone where the mixture ishomogenous. CVS systems are quite large and costly, especially when theyare designed for large flow rates.

The raw modal and partial flow sampling methods have proven to beadequate, but especially for transient test cycles they require a fastand accurate exhaust flow measurement system to control theproportionality of gaseous and particulate sampling. Internationalstandards like ISO 8178 or ISO 16183 specify exhaust gas flowmeasurement methods and accuracy requirements. The preferred type ofsystem that may be employed to gather and test the exhaust is a directvehicle exhaust flow measurement device (DVE). A DVE receives the entirevolume of exhaust gases and measures the exhaust flow directly at thetailpipe. A wide variety of measurement principles has been applied,i.e. ultrasonic flow meters or differential pressure devices, like flownozzles. An additional requirement for vehicle testing is a low pressurechange at the exit of the tailpipe, which can only be achieved with alow flow restriction of the flow metering device.

Internal combustion engines utilize poppet valves to release the spentexhaust gases from the combustion cylinder to the tailpipe. As theexhaust valves open and close pressure pulsations are created within theexhaust gas stream. Emissions standards have become more stringent, andtherefore, measurement accuracy has become increasingly important. Thepressure pulsations within the exhaust gases may introduce an error intothe flow measurement and may result in an inaccuracy in the emissionstest. Precautions have to be taken or an active correction has to beemployed to minimize the impact of these pressure pulsations on the flowmeasurement.

One embodiment of a DVE based on differential pressure devices isdescribed in the prior art. This embodiment mixes the total amount ofexhaust with make-up air and measures the mixed exhaust flow rate aswell as the flow of make-up gas such as ambient air. The exhaust flow iscalculated by subtracting the make-up air flow into the system measuredby a subsonic venturi from the total flow of make-up air and exhaustgases through the system measured by a critical flow venturi. Acorrection factor might be generated by comparing the flow of make-upair through the subsonic venturi and the critical flow venturi during acalibration process in which the tailpipe is closed. However, aninaccuracy results with such a calibration procedure because of thenonlinear relationship between the differential pressure across thesubsonic venturi and the flow rate through this device. Otherinaccuracies are introduced by the presence of engine pulsations.Further, inaccuracies are caused in the temperature measurement frominhomogeneous mixing of make-up air and hot exhaust gases.

Typically, the emissions test takes place in a rather confined cell inwhich space is limited. As a result, the exhaust gas flow measurementsystem must be rather compact but without compromising the high level ofaccuracy needed to comply with the increasingly stringent emissions teststandards. Therefore, what is needed is an exhaust flow measurementdevice with low flow restriction that may be packaged within a cellwhile providing an accurate flow measurement with reduced sensitivity toexhaust gas pressure pulsations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES

The present invention provides a vehicle exhaust measurement system thatreceives the entire volume of exhaust gases and mixes it with a make-upgas such as ambient air. The system includes a conduit having a conduitinlet and a conduit outlet. A make-up air tube and a flow meter areconnected to and are in fluid communication with the conduit inlet. Themake-up air tube provides make-up air for mixing with the exhaust gasfrom the vehicle or engine. In the preferred embodiment the make-up airflow meter measures a pressure differential across a head type flowmeter indicative of make-up airflow. A mixed gas tube is connected toand is in fluid communication with the conduit outlet. The mixed gastube conveys a mixture of make-up air and exhaust gas to a critical flowventuri. A blower is connected to the outlet of the critical flowventuri and provides sufficient suction to maintain critical flowthroughout its operation. The exhaust gas tube, which conveys the totalexhaust gas of the engine or vehicle to the U-shaped conduit, extendsthrough an outer wall of the conduit. A mixing plate is arranged ineither of the conduit or the mixed gas tube. The exhaust gas tubeextends to a position near the mixing plate. The exhaust gas tubeconveys the exhaust gas to the mixing plate, where the make-up air andexhaust gas are homogeneously mixed. A section of the exhaust gas tubethat is inside the conduit may be perforated to reduce the suction onthe exhaust gas tube.

The flow of make-up air and exhaust through the system is determinedminus the flow of make-up air into the system to determine the flow ofthe total volume of exhaust gases. The flow through the DVE iscalibrated by comparing the flow rates at a smooth approach orifice andcritical flow venturi. A calibration factor is determined based upon thecomparison and is applied to a differential pressure transducerassociated with the smooth approach orifice to obtain accuratemeasurements at the smooth approach orifice throughout the range of flowrates there through.

The intensity and frequency of the exhaust gas pulsations is determinedand a correction factor is calculated based upon the intensity of theexhaust gas pulsations. This correction factor may be applied to themeasurements taken by the make-up air flow meter to provide an adjustedflow of measurement at the flow measurement device to correct for thepressure pulsations.

Accordingly, the above invention provides an exhaust volume measurementdevice that may be packaged within a cell while maintaining ahomogeneous mixture and provides an accurate measurement of the flow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the present invention can be understood by referenceto the following detailed description when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the present invention vehicle exhaustmeasurement system;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of one tubing arrangement for a test cellhaving exhaust gas collection tubing at the floor;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the vehicle exhaust measurement systemfor a test cell having exhaust gas collection tubing at the ceiling;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a flow measurement systemincorporating a mixing plate;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the conduit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a graph of corrections factors for pressure pulsations; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a method of correcting the pressuremeasurements for exhaust gas pressure pulsations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The exhaust flow measurement system 10 is shown schematically in FIG. 1.The system 10 is attached to a tailpipe 12 from an engine or vehiclethat contains exhaust gases having the products of combustion. Since theflow measurement system 10 must typically be packaged within the spatialconstraints of an emissions test cell, the tubing in the system must bearranged in such a manner to fit within the test cell. Similarly, it isdesirable to have the flow measurement devices and sensors packagedcompactly relative to one another so that they and the associatedcontrollers may be packaged as a unit within the test cell along withthe tubing.

The exhaust gases from the tailpipe 12 are mixed with a make-up gas suchas ambient air. The flow of the exhaust (Q_(exaust)) is determined bytaking the total flow of the exhaust gases mixed with make-up air(Q_(tot)) and subtracting the flow of the make-up air (Q_(air)). Thecalculation without correction is represented by equation 1 below.Q _(exaust) =Q _(tot) −Q _(air)  (equation 1)

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the flow measurement system 10 includes aconduit 22 having a conduit inlet 24 and a conduit outlet 26.Preferably, the conduit is U-shaped, which enables the system to bepackages more compactly. A make-up air tube 28 is connected to theconduit inlet 24. The make-up air flows through a flow meter such as asmooth approach orifice (SAO) 31 to measure the flow of make-up air todetermine Q_(air). It is to be understood that various types of flowmeters, such as other head type flow meters or ultrasonic flow meters,may be used to measure the flow of the make-up gas. Returning now toFIG. 1, a temperature sensor 32 and an absolute pressure sensor 34 arearranged at the inlet of the SAO 31. A pressure sensor 36 measures thedifferential pressure between the throat of the SAO 31 and the inlet.The sensors 32, 34, 36 are used to calculate the flow through the SAO31, as it is well known in the art.

Prior art configurations may share pressure sensor connections and useunbalanced conduits, which introduces errors into the pressure pulsationintensity measurement on either side of the sensor. The error introducedin the prior art may be up to several percent of the measured flow. Inthe present invention the pressure sensor 34 is preferably connected tothe tube 28 by conduit 27 independently from pressure sensor 36.Furthermore, the conduits 33 and 35, which connect pressure sensor 36,are acoustically balanced. Providing separate connections for thesensors 34 and 36 and using acoustically balanced conduits ensures moreaccurate pressure pulsation intensity measurements. For best results,each of the differential pressure sensors must be acoustically balancedfor the DVE at the initial setup of the system to account for thevariations between the sensors.

The procedure of acoustical balancing of the pressure transducerscontains the following steps: The conduits 33 and 35, which connect thedifferential pressure sensor 36 at one end, have to be connected at theother end to one point and pressure pulsations have to be introducedthere. The length of either the conduit 33 or 35 has to be varied untilthe pressure sensor 36 is not able detect the pressure pulsations.Specifically, a tee is connected to the DVE where it will be subject topressure pulsations. The pressure sensor is connected to either side ofthe tee with substantially equal lengths of conduits in an effort toobtain the same transport time and magnitude of the pressure pulsationson either side of the sensor. The lengths are adjusted to account forthe variation in the sensor and the conduits, which typically results inconduits of substantially the same length assuming conduits of the sameinternal diameter. The sensor may then be reattached to the DVE in thenormal manner for testing with the length-adjusted conduits. Theacoustic balancing procedure must be repeated if the sensor is replaced.

While the acoustic balancing is discussed in terms of adjusting lengthof the conduits, it is to be understood that any factor may be adjustedthat contributes to the imbalance of pressure pulsations on either sideof the sensor. In a broader sense, the volume of the conduits isadjusted to balance the sensor. In the case small diameter tubing, suchas {fraction (1/16)}″ inner diameter, the sensor may be easily balancedby trimming the length of the tubing.

An exhaust gas tube 37 conveys the exhaust gases from the tailpipe 12 tothe conduit 22. A mixed gas tube 38 is connected to the conduit outlet26. The exhaust gas and make-up air are mixed in the mixed gas tube 38.A critical flow venturi (CFV) 40 regulates and measures the flow of themixture of exhaust gas and make-up air. It is to be understood thatvarious types of flow meters, such as other head type flow meters, maybe used to measure the flow of the mixture of exhaust gas and make-upair. A fast response temperature sensor 42 and an absolute pressuresensor 44 are arranged at the inlet of the CFV. To obtain the desiredflow meter accuracy, the reading of the temperature sensor is preferablywithin about ±6° C. (±12° F.) after about 0.3 s, while the repeatabilityof the sensor is preferably better than about ±0.3° C. (±0.6° F.). Thefast response time of the temperature sensor is required for transientoperation of the DVE. An absolute pressure sensor 46 may be arranged atthe outlet of the CFV 40 to verify that the flow remains critical duringthe test.

The sensors 42 and 44 are used to calculate the flow of diluted exhaustgas through the CFV 40, as is well known in the art. The exhaust andmake-up gases are preferably homogeneously mixed prior to entering theCFV and temperature measurement of the gases to ensure accurate results.Use of a mixing plate enables the gases to be mixed over a shorterlength of tube so that a more compact system may be used. This, in turn,also enables the flow meters and sensors to be located more closely toone another. The measurement taken at the SAO 31 is subtracted from themeasurement taken at the CFV 40 to determine the flow of exhaust gasesentering the flow measurement system 20 from the exhaust gas tube 37, asindicated by equation 1 above.

A blower 48 maintains critical flow through the CFV 40 to ensure thatthe measurement at the CFV is accurate. A heated blanket 50 may bewrapped about the exposed portion of the exhaust gas tube 30 and theconduit 22 up to the CFV 40 to ensure that the gases within the flowmeasurement system 20 do not condense prior to reaching the CFV 40.Condensation of the gases would introduce an error into the measurementtaken by the CFV 40.

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict tubing 53 that may carry the mixed exhaust gasesto the blower. If the tubing is arranged at the floor of the test cell atubing arrangement, as shown by reference number 53 in FIG. 2A, may beused. If the tubing is at the ceiling of the test cell the tube 53, asshown in FIG. 2B, may be used.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the conduit 22 includes an outer radius 55.Conduit 22 includes an apex 56, which may be defined by the midpoint ofthe curvature of the outer radius. The exhaust gas tube 37 extendsthrough the outer wall of the conduit 22 to one side of the apex 56 andis curved in a manner similar to the curvature of the conduit 22. Amixing plate 58 is disposed within the conduit 22 or the mixed gas tube38. Preferably, the mixing plate 58 is arranged after the curvature ofthe conduit 22. The exhaust gas tube 37 includes a terminal end 60 thatis arranged proximate to the mixing plate 58. A section 57 of theexhaust gas tube 37 may be perforated once the tube 37 enters theconduit 22 to reduce the suction on the tailpipe. Mixing of the exhaustgas from the exhaust gas tube 37 and the make-up air from the conduit 22substantially begins at the mixing plate 58. Preferably, the length ofthe mixed gas tube 38 is sufficient to permit homogeneous mixing of thegases prior to measurement of the diluted gases at the CFV 40.Homogeneous mixing is required to ensure proper operation of the CFV andaccurate temperature measurement.

The flow measurement system 20 must be calibrated to ensure accurateflow measurement through the flow devices. This calibration procedure isperformed in two steps. At first the three-way valves 56 and 58 areswitched to disconnect the conduits 33 and 35 of the pressure transducer36 from the SAO 31. The ends of the conduits are now open to atmosphere.After an appropriate stabilization time a new zero offset B iscalculated for the differential pressure transducer 36. After completingthe first step the conduits 33 and 35 are reconnected to the SAO 31, thevalve 52 is closed and the blower 48 draws ambient air through the SAO31 and CFV 40. The flow measurements taken at the SAO 31 and CFV 40should be in agreement with one another. A correction factor A iscalculated using equation 2 below. The correction factor A reflects theratio of the flow through the SAO 31 and the flow through the CFV 40 andhas to be applied to the reading of the differential pressure sensor 36.$\begin{matrix}{Q_{CFV} = {C_{D} \cdot Y \cdot \frac{\pi}{4} \cdot d^{2} \cdot \sqrt{\frac{2 \cdot A \cdot \left( {{\Delta\quad p} + B} \right)}{\rho \cdot \left( {1 - \beta^{4}} \right)}}}} & \left( {{equation}\quad 2} \right)\end{matrix}$

-   -   C_(D) discharge coefficient    -   d throat diameter    -   ρ gas density    -   β=d_(THROAT)/D_(INLET)    -   Y is the adiabatic expansion factor: $\begin{matrix}        {Y = \sqrt{\tau^{\frac{2}{\kappa}} \cdot \frac{\kappa}{\kappa - 1} \cdot \frac{1 - \tau^{\frac{\kappa - 1}{\kappa}}}{1 - \tau} \cdot \frac{1 - \beta^{4}}{1 - {\beta^{4} \cdot \tau^{\frac{2}{\kappa}}}}}} & \left( {{equation}\quad 3} \right)        \end{matrix}$    -   τ=P_(THROAT)/P_(INLET)    -   κ=C_(p)/C_(v)    -   C_(p), C_(v) are the specific heat capacities        This calibration method differs from the calibration described        in the prior art, where a correction factor is simply multiplied        with the flow rate through the subsonic venturi. However,        inaccuracy results with such a calibration procedure because of        the nonlinear relationship between the differential pressure        across the subsonic venturi and the flow rate through this        device, the calibration method is only accurate for one specific        flow rate. In contrast, the present invention calibration method        ensures the accuracy of the calibrated SAO readings over the        complete flow range of the device.

The effects of the undesired exhaust gas pressure pulsations may beminimized by applying a correction factor to the flow measurement. Thiscorrection factor is calculated from the differential pressuremeasurement of the pressure transducer 36 and depends on the pulsationintensity of the pressure signal. The frequency f of the pulsationsvaries depending on engine parameters and operation and is measured witha signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit processes thepressure signal to generate a filtered signal ΔP_(μ) at a cutofffrequency of approximately half of the minimum frequency of the pressurepulsations. The magnitude of the pressure pulsations is determined bythe signal processing circuit as ΔP_(σ). The pulsation intensity I_(p)is calculated as: $\begin{matrix}{{I_{p} = {\frac{\Delta\quad P_{\sigma}}{\Delta\quad P_{\mu}} \cdot \frac{c^{*}}{\left( {c^{*} + {{10.64 \cdot \frac{f}{4} \cdot \Delta}\quad x}} \right)}}}{with}} & \left( {{equation}\quad 4} \right) \\{c^{*} = {c - \frac{Q_{air}}{\pi\quad\frac{d_{th}^{2}}{4}}}} & \left( {{equation}\quad 5} \right)\end{matrix}$

-   c speed of sound-   Δx distance between the pressure transducer taps-   Q_(air) volumetric make-up air flow-   d_(th) SAO throat diameter

The constant 10.64 is a unit conversion constant. The combinedcorrection factor is represented by F_(p)(I_(p)) and is graphicallydepicted in FIG. 5. $\begin{matrix}{{F_{p}\left( I_{p} \right)} = {\frac{1}{2 \cdot \pi} \cdot {\int_{0}^{2\pi}{\left( \sqrt{{I_{p} \cdot {\sin(\theta)}} + 1} \right){\mathbb{d}\theta}}}}} & \left( {{equation}\quad 6} \right)\end{matrix}$

The calibrated and corrected exhaust gas flow may be represented byequation 7. The flow measurement correction provides increased accuracyof the tests results.Q _(ex) =Q _(CFV) −F _(p)(I _(p)(ΔP _(μ) ,ΔP _(σ) ,f))·Q_(dil)  (equation 7)The correction factor is applied to the system 10 as schematicallydepicted in FIG. 6.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is tobe understood that the terminology that has been used is intended to bein the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

1. A vehicle exhaust measurement system comprising: a conduit defined byan outer wall and having an conduit inlet and a conduit outlet; anmake-up air tube connected to and in fluid communication with saidconduit inlet, said make-up air tube providing make-up air for mixingwith an exhaust gas; a mixed gas tube connected to and in fluidcommunication with said conduit outlet, said mixed gas tube conveying amixture of the make-up air and the exhaust gas to analysis equipment;and an exhaust gas tube extending through said outer wall of saidconduit, and a mixing plate disposed in at least one of said conduit andsaid mixed gas tube with said exhaust gas tube extending to a positionadjacent to said mixing plate, said exhaust gas tube conveying theexhaust gas to said mixing plate to mix the exhaust gas and the make-upair at said mixing plate.
 2. The system according to claim 1, whereinsaid mixing plate is disposed within said mixed gas conduit.
 3. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein said conduit is curved and aportion of said exhaust gas tube is curved within said conduit.
 4. Thesystem according to claim 3, wherein said exhaust gas tube enters saidconduit at an outer radius.
 5. The system according to claim 4, whereinsaid conduit has an apex and said exhaust gas tube enters said conduitprior to said apex on a make-up air tube side.
 6. The system accordingto claim 3, wherein said exhaust gas tube has a perforated sectioninside said conduit.
 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein acritical flow venturi is in fluid communication with said mixed gas tubedownstream from said exhaust gas tube regulating and measuring the flowof the mixture of the make-up air and the exhaust gas.
 8. The systemaccording to claim 7, wherein a heater is arranged about a portion ofsaid exhaust gas tube, a portion of said conduit from said exhaust gastube to said mixed gas tube, and said mixed gas tube to said criticalflow venturi.
 9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said make-upair tube includes an inlet, and a smooth approach orifice is arrangedbetween said inlet and said exhaust gas tube. 10-29. (Canceled)